If you were a fan of the old Ibico combination plastic comb / wire-obinding machines, then you will probably want to take a look at theAkiles Megabind 2. This machine features both durability and all metalquality Small Motor Manufacturers construction. The Magabind 2 appears to fit in well with therest of their line of solid desktop binders. Here we will take a closerlook at the machine, and give you what we consider to be the pros andcons of the Akiles Megabind 2. Pros:

As we mentioned in the intro, the MB2 is an all metal, heavy duty machine.With its disengageable dies, the machine has the ability to punchdifferent lengths, and odd sized documents. It can punch documents upto fourteen inches in length in a single step and longer documents withmultiple steps. We also liked the feature that allows you to controlthe depth of the margin (the distance of the holes from the sheet’sedge).

The Mega bind 2 offers a fourteen inch punch and the plastic comb opener that can be used on pages up to fourteen inches.This makes it an excellent choice for offices that need to bind legalsized documents.

The MB2’s biggest unique feature is probably the one that puts it above the rest of its class on the market, andthat is the fact that it includes a wire closing feature that lets themachine become a 19 loop spiral-o binding machine. This means that you can bind documents with both plastic combs or with 19-loop wire depending on the look that you want to achieve.

The MB2 hasa handy size selector included. Using the size selector will help you to choose the right size of comb for all of your documents.

Thoughthe machine has the capacity to bind documents up to two inches thickwith plastic binding combs, if you are using the spiral-o method, youwill only be able to bind documents that are one inch in thickness.

Inorder for the spiral-o function to work properly, you will need to findthe right size wire. Spiral-o binding supplies are a little harder tofind than the normal 3:1 pitch wire-o binding supplies.

Thougha nice and flexible machine, the MB2 is still a manual binding system.It is best suited for light to medium use. Higher volume projects canget a bit tedious with manual machines, so if your office will be usingits binding machine on a daily or regular basis, you might want to lookat a machine with an electric punch.

The wire closing deviceis situated horizontally (rather than vertically as on most otherAkiles machines), and it took us a little bit longer to figure out thebest way to use it. Still the design should work well for light tomedium volume users.

Recommendation: With the versatility of being able to bind documents with bothplastic combs and spiral-o wire, we would have to say the Megabind 2 isprobably one of the best buys available on the market. It is a solidlyconstructed machine and one that should stand up to years of light tomedium duty use. Overall, this is a great machine, and offers greatvalue.